Vena Cava Filter Dual Retrieval Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vena cava filters face difficulties in removal due to proliferating intimal cells and directional dependency during deployment and retrieval, making independent orientation of filter placement necessary for easy retrieval.
Innovation Solution
An intravascular filter assembly with a fixed hub, axially movable hub, and coupling members allowing for retrieval from both jugular and femoral sides, featuring a collapsible configuration for removal, and a retainer limiting the movable hub's travel, enabling easy collapse and removal without requiring specific orientation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a vena cava filter is deployed to prevent thromboses, then patient safety is improved, but filter removal becomes difficult due to intimal cell proliferation around struts
Solution Approach 1:
The filter is divided into two separate hubs: a fixed hub that remains anchored in the vessel wall for long-term thrombus prevention, and a movable hub that can be independently retrieved. The struts connect these hubs and can be collapsed by moving the movable hub, allowing removal of the filter structure without pulling on the embedded struts, thus solving the removal difficulty while maintaining patient safety benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The movable hub and its associated struts are extracted as a separate retrievable component from the fixed hub structure. This allows the non-essential parts of the filter to be removed after the therapeutic purpose is fulfilled, while the fixed hub with struts remains in place to continue providing safety benefits through intimal cell integration
2Ease of manufacture
If a vena cava filter is inserted using a femoral approach, then deployment is simplified, but retrieval requires a jugular approach, increasing procedural complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The filter design provides universal retrieval capability by equipping both ends of the device with coupling members that can engage with retrieval tools. The movable hub has coupling members on both its proximal and distal ends, allowing the filter to be retrieved from either the femoral or jugular approach regardless of how it was deployed, thereby simplifying the overall procedural complexity while maintaining deployment simplicity
Data Source
AI summary
An intravascular filter assembly (20) has an expanded state for capturing thrombi in a patient's blood vessel and a collapsed state for removal from the patient's blood vessel. The filter assembly includes a fixed hub (10) defining a tubular portion, a plurality of struts (12) extending from a first axial side of the tubular portion of the fixed hub (10), and an axially movable hub (24). The struts (12) have an expanded configuration and a collapsed configuration. The axially movable hub (24) has a first position radially surrounding at least an axial portion of the tubular portion and a second position axially spaced apart from the fixed hub (10) along the struts. The struts (12) are in the collapsed configuration when the movable hub is in the second position. A first coupling member (26) extends from the first axial side from the movable hub (24); and a second coupling member (28) extends from a second axial side opposite the first axial side.